Chapter 226
Apart from extraordinary technology, the next advancements in the city-level itself include the new technologies of the [Primary Academy] for productivity, [Better Housing] for higher living standards, and [Artificial Landscapes] for urban beautification.
The academy is a more prestigious institution than a full-time school, while better housing encompasses both ordinary residences and the luxurious villas desired by the nobility. Artificial landscapes are part of the city's aesthetic enhancement. After upgrading to a city, to attract more nobles and tourists, these infrastructures must be improved together.
After a wave of spending, Ye Bai found that she only had 26 points of productivity left, which she planned to reserve for territorial projects.
At that moment, sensing someone approaching, Ye Bai looked up and saw Blaze waiting not far away.
There was nothing that could not be decided; this captain of the guard would not disturb her without reason. Ye Bai stepped forward and asked, "What’s up?"
Blaze quickly approached, his expression tense as he reported, "There are activities of the Blooded Ones at the territory's perimeter. Should we drive them away? Or…"
No one among the territory's residents knew exactly what had happened last night, but the large amount of loot on the ground made it easy to guess it was related to the Blooded Ones.
Ye Bai paused for a moment, then thought it over and asked, "Have those spoils been collected?"
"All collected," Blaze replied immediately. "We discovered their movements while conducting a final sweep to prevent any omissions. Speaking of which, I need to inform you that the territory's warehouse is already full. As a result, we had to leave some less valuable wood and stone outside."
"It’s time to build some larger warehouses," Ye Bai nodded. Then she smiled at Blaze and said, "No need to drive those Blooded Ones away. First, go select the best equipment to put in the barracks' armory, then open the territory and allow them to enter freely."
"My lady, are we really allowing them in?" Blaze was taken aback, unsure if he had misheard.
Ye Bai chuckled, "Of course! Then distribute the remaining inferior equipment among the various departments of the territory based on their approximate value. Let them choose the troublesome rough work to assign to those Blooded Ones."
The territory was about to undergo a major construction project, and Ye Bai was worried about a lack of labor. It was as if a pillow had been delivered just as she was feeling sleepy.
This way, Ye Bai could also experience what it felt like to have players from other civilizations driving half the work for her.
—Most importantly, this 'wage' would come straight from their own pockets.
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After finishing her discussion with Blaze, Ye Bai returned to the Tree of Creation and arranged the layout for the previously activated technological buildings.
Then, she opened the [Development Strategy] page.
The upgrade requirements for an eighth-level territory appeared: the population must reach 2,000; the full-time education rate must reach 20%; there must be an academy; the territory's basic attractiveness must exceed 70%; and the willingness of nobles to reside must reach 20 points.
The first phase of city construction, the 'Basic Strategy,' is reflected in these upgrade conditions.
In this phase, the lord player must transform the basic environment of the territory while maintaining population and education levels, completing the 'urbanization' construction. These conditions also support the final requirement of noble residency willingness.
Noble residency is not only a way to earn money but also the most effective means to enhance the inclinations of various schools outside of trade routes. Once upgraded to an eighth-level territory, one of the requirements for a ninth-level territory will be the Void Capture Device, which necessitates possessing first-level knowledge from three major schools.
Of course, Ye Bai had already completed this step in advance.
Next came the selection of new policy cards.
Upon reaching city level, the original four town-level policy cards disappeared, replaced by many higher-level and more diverse new strategy cards. The territory policies would undergo significant adjustments compared to the town level.
Thanks to Ye Bai's newly acquired title of First City Lord, which grants a 30% increase in territory population attractiveness, a 35% increase in the probability of special talents appearing, a 40% increase in the willingness of professionals to relocate, and a 30% increase in noble attractiveness.
Thus, she skipped over the cards that increased the speed of accumulating school inclinations, such as [Magic Exploration I], [Alchemy Experiment I], and [Chaos Faith I]; she also overlooked [Cost Saving] and [Gold is Supreme] since her pockets were already quite full. In the end, she chose four new policy cards suitable for the current situation.
[Work-Life Balance IV]: Residents with entertainment values above 80 will have their work efficiency increased by 60% and their skill proficiency growth rate increased by 50%.
[Emergency Plan]: In the event of safety or medical incidents in the territory, loss rates and infection rates will be reduced by 50%.
[National Martialism]: The personal experience gain rate for territory residents increases by 30%; the training speed of military units in the territory increases by 40%; the basic attributes of military units in the territory are enhanced by 20%.
[Academic Atmosphere]: The learning speed of general education schools, full-time schools, and academies in the territory increases by 30%; the probability of professionals in the territory generating new inventions increases by 20%.
A flash of light signaled the application of the new policies.
With the first two policies ensuring normal production and safety in the territory, the other infrastructure had already been completed in the earlier stages; it just needed another upgrade.
With the remaining two slots, Ye Bai didn’t have to choose between literary and martial aspects; she could simply opt for 'Both Literary and Martial.'
After all, most of the basic work in the territory could now be 'outsourced.'
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When Zhi Ya resurrected outside an NPC town, it was already noon on the second day in the myriad realms.
Warriors of cosmic civilizations typically possess at least D-level mental strength, while the agents from the Blue Star server in this operation were mostly of C-level strength. After death, their spiritual forms would suffer damage and fall into a one-hour coma, during which their mental strength would be affected for 8 to 15 days, leaving them with only half their usual combat power.
However, this was the impact on reality. The compensation for this operation had already been sent to the participants along with the confidentiality agreement at the end of the post-battle meeting, compensating them for their losses in this fight.
While the economic losses were compensated, the time lost could not be regained.
Seeing his level drop from 41 to 36, Zhi Ya realized that the experience lost would take time to recover. With his current level falling to one, he could not use his second-class job abilities. The only consolation was that when he reached level 40, he wouldn’t have to redo the job transition quest.
In addition, his backpack was empty of equipment and items. Even if he could exchange real-world currency for game currency, finding suitable equipment obtained through quests would be difficult in the short term.
Moreover, 80% of the players in the Blue Star server faced the same situation as Zhi Ya. After the operation ended, everyone went their separate ways, and naturally, it didn’t matter anymore. However, the demand for equipment would inevitably drive up prices in the equipment market… What a mess!
His gaze swept around, and he noticed many players appearing nearby, transitioning from the ethereal to the tangible.
Players who died would randomly resurrect in an NPC town they had previously visited. Last night, everyone had died in Bai Ye Town… No, it was now called Bai Ye City. Now, upon resurrection, they mostly found themselves in nearby towns.
He wondered what the situation in Bai Ye City was now…
Reflecting on what had happened last night, Zhi Ya felt little else but a sense of surrealism—after all, he had been taken out in an instant, and the battle could hardly be described as intense.
Bai Ye single-handedly resurrected the undead army, annihilating their 20,000-strong legion. It was hard to imagine for those who weren’t there; even they, as the parties involved, were still in a daze.
However, duty called, and he still needed to investigate Bai Ye Town; this was their first task upon logging in.
Now that his equipment and backpack were completely empty, even if he were unfortunate enough to be killed again, he wouldn’t lose much.
When Zhi Ya arrived at Bai Ye City, he saw many players arriving one after another, just like him. The battlefield from yesterday had indeed been cleared by the NPCs of Bai Ye City.
Just as disappointment set in, Zhi Ya and the other arriving players were taken by surprise when they saw the captain of the guard walking out from the city gate, glancing in their direction. He said something to the guarding soldiers, and then the escort team that had extended outside the city walls began to disperse, leaving only two regular gate guards.
What was happening? Had Bai Ye City, which had been closed for over half a month, just lifted its lockdown? And on the very second day after being attacked?
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